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Drifting

Small clumps of weed drift. The sea is very calm, further out a steady current flows away from my gaze. I spend an hour or so watching weed as it drifts with the outgoing tide but barely moves, never reaches the current, never gets into the flow. This is weed from my basin, it will drift around and then return. I know it to be true. I need to encourage it into the flow, need to dislodge it such that it goes elsewhere to rest.

At high tide, my basin looks almost attractively swimmable. Patches of floating weed are undesirable, need encouraging to be sent on their way. The water is clear, the bottom visible, with sand and stones showing through. I can see a small garden of weed grows on the rocks but a flotilla rests in harbour and needs dispersing, needs to be encouraged during the course of its twice daily swim, to swim further or to have its course altered sufficiently that swimming might be more attractive here. I wish I might be brave enough to swim alone, straight out from my door.

For days I have been watching, learning the tides, I now know their heights and habits, know when my basin offers good water for swimming. I need a small boat to help me move the annoying weed, or a friend. I consider the construction of a floating barrier to stop the weed returning. Yesterday I nearly put on leggings over a costume, nearly braved it in. I don’t need to swim to clear the weed, just need to get in on a receding tide. No that is untrue, for the weed must be encouraged further out into the channel and that would require a swim of some distance.

Regular dislodging though, course altering, could be worth a go. If the weather were warmer it would feel easier. Much of my hesitation is around the slippery weedy descent. Firm footing cannot be found unless weed is cleared. At low tide thick piles of weed make reaching the water difficult.

I have planned a small circuit I might swim, two buoys, a triangular lap, maybe one hundred metres, but first I need to actually get in to the water.

I played bridge last night, Rubber Bridge rather than duplicate which has a tendency to be seen as a second rate cousin, less skill, judgement and tactical play needed, more reliant on luck. I was surprised, it was much feistier than I imagined. Despite the notion that it is a more sociable game, there is nevertheless a competitive edge, each out for themselves.

I think I came somewhere in the middle. Much of it was a mystery, I had no clue about scoring and how it might affect my bidding. I keep watching the internet, want to know my placing. Does it matter? Yes, it does. I did not realise one might find ones own level, the ability to develop a rapid partnership with another yet work to ones own end. I played several different systems, this must be good for mental agility. I do believe there must be tactics but as yet they are a mystery.